The Sunday Stroll – If You Go Down To The Woods Today…

So yesterday was Sunday once more and Archie and I wanted to stretch our legs. With decisions no currently being made about next years Charity Walk I felt we best make the most of our freedom to choose a flatter terrain (or so I thought…) for yesterdays walk and because of that we made our way to a place called Shotover Park near Oxford for a walk in the woods.

As you know we normally walk along the Ridgeway on a Sunday and this will continue again because I have decided on the dates of the Charity Walk now being early June (around the 6th) which should be the day after I hit 500 posts on this blog. This will be the day I start the 87 mile Ridgeway walk, a walk I expect to take me in the region of five days. I shall then complete this and immediately travel 300 miles north to Hadrian’s Wall (another famous walk) that stretches from one side of the UK to the other covering the 84 miles from Bowness to Wallsend and again aim to do this in five days also. The first walk I am thinking will be a great deal easier to manage as I am local to it and will have support locally to bring food and water and take away rubbish and the like. However, I am sure things will be different at Hadrian’s Wall as I currently have no real support there so may need to be a touch more self sufficient!

Still, these are all in the planning stages at present so lets leave them there and concentrate on yesterdays walk in the woods….

If you go down to the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise. If you go down to the woods today, you’d better go in disguise…..

I must admit, the trepidation Archie showed as he entered the wood really made me wonder if the story was true… I mean, you know what they say about dogs and a sixth sense….. Anyway, we carried on regardless and soon found ourselves on a track heading towards the woods proper.

Walking past plants that looked they belonged in the Jurassic Park film.

Then finally at the end of a long straight alongside a beautiful common..

We made it into the woods…

And straight onto what looked like the set of the BMX Bandits with jumps and whoops and all sorts going on!

The name Shotover comes from the Old English scoet ofer, meaning “steep slope” and I can attest to that because we had to scramble our way up some of the slopes and no mistake.

This was the view back down

So it was no wonder the boy wonder needed a little rest

Once we had gotten to the top and back to the Jurassic vegetation….

And it wasn’t long before we were out of the woods and back on the common.

Just before we hit the shade again as we made our way back to the car along some very old roads around various woods knows as Brasenose and Magdalen Woods (just like the colleges at Oxford University so they are probably owned by those colleges!

So a very enjoyable walk even if it was a little shorter than normal but when you look at the map, you can see why.

FOOD DIARY:Saturday 26th September 2015

Qty

Measure

Food

Calories (gr)

Protein (gr)

Carbs (gr)

Fat (gr)

Breakfast

1

Small

Lean Sausage

111

12

3

8

1

Small

Lean Rasher of Bacon

122

26

0

17.5

2

Large

Scrambled Eggs

164

15.6

0

11.4

1

75gms

Toasted Rye Bread

143

3.7

36.2

1.1

Lunch

2

83gms

BBQ Salmon Filets

416

40

8.4

24.6

1

Small Bowl

Mixed Salad

17

1

3

0

Dinner

1

Half Small Bowl

Chili Con Carne

101

13.5

9

3.3

1

100gms

Home Style Oven Chips

196

3

34.8

5

Snacks

2

400mls

Tea

11.8

0

0.8

0

1

400mls

Latte

105

6

9

4

1

330mls

Limonata

149

0

34.5

0

Totals

1535.8

120.8

138.7

74.9

Water

1

500mls

Mineral Water

Given that the day was a weekend and I try to relax the food judge in me on a Saturday and Sunday, I honestly don’t think I did too badly. Yes the carbs were up a bit but they came from the Limonata, the Oven Chips and the toasted Rye Bread, but if you look at the fat content alongside this, it is still relatively low given that I ate salmon which although high in fats, these are actually healthy fats. The calories were also boosted by the Salmon with me not realising until today that the BBQ sauce impacts so heavily on the calorie count. I think I shall only have the BBQ ones every now and then from now on!

As for my exercise, well yesterday being Sunday found myself and Archie on our long Sunday Stroll. We walked in a country park as already described so the route was fairly straight forward (even though we did get lost a couple of times…) and well laid out which means the Map My Walk screenshot wasn’t the most exciting thing I have ever captured even though the distance walked of just over 5 miles was okay. Mind you, the fact it kind of looks like Suzuka Raceway in Japan is pretty cool I think…!

I did make it to the gym as I said I would although after the walk I had to adjust my workout to just 20 minutes of cardio sat on the bike followed by an altered strength training session which looked like this:

As you can see I cut it back considerably which is just as well because toward the end I started to feel a bit wobbly so it was definitely for the best! Hopefully come Tuesday I shall be back to normal as I won’t have walked quite so far. It is actually quite odd to be honest because usually after my B12 shot (I had my latest one on Wednesday) I have plenty of energy but this time round I am struggling to make the most of it, or at least feel any benefit from it!

Still the Polar H7 gave me a total of 1119 calories burnt so I suppose I should be happy with that.

Still, all of that movement helped me get the 18,000 odd steps for the day so when that equates to nine miles covered, well I think you can say that is a pretty good days movement.

Today is a rest day but I shall walk the dog this morning, at lunchtime and again in the evening so will no doubt be telling you about those jaunts the next time you tune in.

I know! Right? What is the world coming to when you can’t go to the woods and see a bear! Yes, training is back to a level that I am happy with although still strung;ing with energy levels I have to say. I will get there though, as will you Ed…!

LOL, No bears, no Wolves, no three little piggies. The world is messed up 🙂
Have you tried green tea, it has a good healthy dose of caffiene. I find if I take it first thing in the morning it keeps me alert both mentaly and physicaly throughout the day.

B12 shots? How often do you have to get them? My doc has me on B12 pills and I’m getting my labs done today. I’m curious as to my B12 levels being on those pills. Will you stay on them for a certain period of time?

I have a B12 shot every 12 weeks/3 months.
You can buy a B12 spray over here that I imagine helps some people but to be honest I didn’t notice any difference.
Never heard of the B12 tablets but I doubt it matters much what form it comes in just as long as we get it because after our procedure, we no longer have the ability to make as much of it ourselves and because of this we will stay on the B12 shots for the rest of our lives.

I would like to introduce you to Susie Kelly, Author https://nodamnblog.wordpress.com/ … you really should read ‘Best Foot Forward’ (link in the right hand column of her launch-page titled ‘Travel Books’) … she walked across France – it is an inspiring and engaging book both funny and poignant and with what you are proposing would give some useful tips too. Susie is a lovely lady and I am sure she would willingly give you advice too.

Beautiful walk! When I lived in Chattanooga, Tennessee I used to hike every weekend. I would drive in search of trails I had not tackled yet. Now that I am living back home in Mississippi… There aren’t the beautiful vistas and mountains that I had grown accustomed to. Nevertheless, hiking is still dear to my heart! I’m definitely jealous!

I too like to find new walks because I like to write about them. However, the dog really doesn’t enjoy a new walk and seems to be on edge most of the time that we are going round for the first time, yet on his next visit he is relaxed because things are much more familiar to him. It really is most odd!!

Ha! I used to take my dog Tyson with me as well. If I had to cross a bridge (log, makeshift, or otherwise) or go through a stream… I would have to carry him. He’s a 60 pound baby. I finally figured out I should check the maps first to see how much carrying I would have to do on a given hike. Thanks again for sharing!

What are our dogs like! They are supposed to protect us and we spend all of our time worrying about them!
But then I probably wouldn’t have it any other way!!
Sharing is my pleasure so no problem, glad you liked it.

Beautiful walking trail….I am so envious of where you get to walk…near Oxford….ahhhh I can only dream…your are rocking the work outs…good for you…your heel must be healing up….I think that you should give a shout out to the WP community to help you out at the Bowness walk…if I lived close I would be your cheerleader, gladly!!! Good for you my friend…., your knocking it out of the park…I take a greet tea capsule every morning as I don’t care for the tea…..I love the energy it gives me…tasty Tuesday tomorrow….c.lapping my hands…LOL

This walk looks lovely, but if it’s too secluded crime watch re-inactments can pop into your mind ! seriously though getting out Into nature with a dog really does make you feel glad to be alive. I have been walking my neighbors dog ( he is Dolly Parton crossed with a womble) + v loveable. I incidentally she just had same op as you.
BMX Bandits ( used to go to sleep dreaming could have one + impress with stunts !). keep going Cameron, read some of ur blogs, you come across as a very genuine man, that let’s other people feel its ok to be themselves + not feel so isolated. The school one made me want to cry. Although everything about you is so positive . with your talent for words , an exciting future to look forward too.

Thank you Emma, very kind of you to say so. I am constantly looking for new walks with the dog even if he is wary of them but I know what you mean when you say about the crime watch re-inactments, Shotover Park is EXACTLY that kind of place!!
I do try to be as honest as I can as I believe a blog should be just that and there is no need to gloss over the bad bits and make me sound perfect because that just wouldn’t be true.
I hope Dolly Parton/Womble’s owner is on the mend and walking herself very soon as it is by far the best way to get better after surgery.
I do hope that the exciting future s on the way, I know we have to start somewhere but I think you may be right and it is coming….